To reunite in Zanarkand
by Karin Starsen
Summary: Tidus is back in Zanarkand, but he cannot forget his time in Spira. One day someone returns from his past, from the future. It's Rikku! But is everything alright? Will his hope of seeing Yuna again go down the drain? Complete! Sequals on the way!
1. Here comes Rikku!

(Here's my question. It's quite simple really, why does Tidus have to go to spira? Why can't Yuna go to Zanerkand 1000 years ago? Here's my version.)

_So… here I stand once again amidst the cheering fans, the ecstatic players and the blitz ball. Yet, I'm so unhappy. Why? _Tidus knew exactly why, but he never liked to think about it. It was Yuna. That last night in Spira was such a blur to him, he could hardly remember it anymore. And since he never tried, he would soon probably forget.

He scored the last goal, and they had won the game. The fans went into an uproar and so did the players. A fight broke out somewhere, but he wasn't paying attention. He didn't even know if this place was real. It was supposed to be demolished by now, but somehow after the incident with sin, he was still here. _Maybe I went too far back in time. But then nobody would know me, and I wouldn't know anyone else. It was almost as if I never left… but my memory won't let me believe that… _at that slightest thought, an image of Yuna entered his mind. He quickly shook his head and headed towards the locker room. He was the first inside.

The second one inside was his old friend Travis. He saw Tidus looked down in the dumps, but it wasn't knew to him. To him Tidus just wasn't himself lately, and he would cheer up… eventually. He went over and sat down next to him.

"Hey, buddy! What's wrong?" he asked.

Tidus chuckled at the simple question. _What's wrong? If only you knew…_ he thought. He gave a simple answer. "Girl problems," he said bluntly.

Travis laughed out loud. "That's all?! That's why you've been so down lately? Who's this girl? Got to be some real hot shot to turn you down!"  
"She didn't turn me down."

"What? You're too afraid to ask her out? Who is she?"

"You wouldn't know her…"

"I know everyone!" Travis exclaimed, somewhat truthfully…

"You wouldn't know her. Just drop it," Tidus said getting annoyed.

"Come on…"

"I said drop it!" Tidus cried. He stood up and walked out of the room. _Why do I get so angry? It's not his fault… but… I don't know anymore…_

Tidus headed home towards his home. Some fans saw him, but quickly walked away from his temper. They all knew now- something was wrong with him. It was weird for them, one day he's fine, the next day he might turn on you. But most were especially afraid of his sword, sure the sword was intimidating, but he could use it and nobody wanted to mess with that.

He slammed the door of his home. Nobody was there, but he didn't expect anyone either. He's lived at home alone for a long time now. He was slowly departing from the world as he knew it, but he didn't really know it that well. For the final time that day he thought, _Why me?_

Tidus woke with a start. He had been having a nightmare. It started out with him, then Travis appeared and said, "so who's the girl?" Then Yuna's face appeared and she laughed. Travis's face got confused, because he didn't know who she was. Then this huge blue/green orb thing appeared and was about to suck Yuna in when… he woke up.

_That was strange. I don't normally have nightmares…_ he thought. _Why did I have one tonight? What was that orb thing anyway?_

There was a knock on his door. He looked out his window to see that the sun was just barely starting to rise. _Who could that be?_ He thought while getting up. He didn't normally get visitors. _It's probably just Travis to see if I'm okay. _He headed down the stairs cautiously, not really sure if it was Travis. He got to the door and opened it a crack to peek outside. And there, standing in his door way was someone he thought he would never see again…

It was Rikku. They both just stood there staring at each other. Tidus threw the door open to let her in, but she just stood there staring at him. _Rikku…? Is…is it really her? But I thought…_ Tidus couldn't get his thoughts straight in his head. Finally, Rikku spoke.

"Is it… really you?" she asked in a soft voice.

"I think so, but you? You're here. How…" Tidus started before he was interrupted by a huge hug from Rikku.

"We missed you so much! I can't believe I made it! Shinra's invention worked!" she cried.

"Huh? Who's Shinra?" he asked pulling away. "What invention? What happened."

"Um… let's go inside," Rikku said pulling him in. They both sat on the couch and Tidus waited. "Well, you see. My brother built an airship with buddy, and we became sphere hunters. This girl Paine joined us, and a little later so did Yuna. Shinra is an al bhed whiz kid who is with us also and…"

"Wait a second!" Tidus cut off. "Yuna's with you?"

"Yeah! We've been trying to find you and finally Shinra made an invention that could take us back in time to Zanerkand!"

Tidus's jaw dropped. He sat there taking it all in. _Yuna's alright? Rikku is here? In my house! I really did go back in time… But then what happened to sin…? Why isn't Yuna here? _He thought.

"Where's yuna?" he asked.

"She's at the air ship. Uh… you see, this was a test run and I uh… was chosen as the guinea pig…" a sour look came over her face. "But it worked, now all I need to do is find out how to go back with shinra's little machina thingy…"

"Then let's go!" Tidus exclaimed.

Rikku looked at her toes in disappointment. "I wish I could take you… but I can't! For some reason the machina won't take people from the past. Shinra is trying to fix it, but all he says when we ask is 'I'm just a kid'."

"Well… Can't she come here? You did."

"That's it you see, that's why I came. To test it. Once I go back, Yunie can come. But there's one little glitch…" she did a little half laugh/giggle. "I have to wait 24 hours for the machina to power itself up…"

Tidus didn't care. He was already overjoyed by the news. "I'll have to show you around then!" Tidus exclaimed excitedly. Rikku smiled. It would interest her to see all the great machina. "I even have a blitzball game tonight.

"Great!" cried Rikku. They both got up and headed out the door. There stood Travis. He was coming over to see if Tidus was alright. He looked Rikku over.

"You were right," he said. "I didn't know this girl." He put out his hand and shook Rikku's. "The name's Travis. I'm his bud here…"

"I'm Rikku. Let's just say Tidus and I are 'old friends'…" Rikku said.

"So this the girl?" Travis asked Tidus.

"Wha… no! This is just a friend!"

Rikku turned to him. "Did you tell him about Yunie?"

"No, I…"

"He was in a bad mood last night. And the past week I might add… he said it was 'girl trouble'." Travis said.

Rikku laughed. "Well… I guess you could call it that."

"You'll meet Yuna soon enough Travis… this is our friend Rikku though… She come's from the same place as Yuna. She's an Al bh…"

"We're from another island far away from here," Rikku cut in, giving Tidus a hard glance.

_Oh right… the war with the al bhed. I don't want to cause any trouble, _Tidus thought. _I hope nobody notices her eyes…_

"Well, I'll see you at the tournament Tidus," Travis said. "I'm glad to see that you're feeling better!"

(R&R please)


	2. Blitzball

(well, the last one was of Tidus's mind. Now it's of Rikku's! Have fun! I've had no reviews! cries in a corner))

She had seen nothing like this before, and no matter how hard she tried to imagine it… it really didn't seem… real! She knew that the city was going to be big… but not gigantic! _And all this machina…_ she thought. _How is this all possible? _

This big part was the blitzball game. Never had she seen a stadium so large, or so many fans. Or such great blitzers! She knew that Tidus was good… but here, everyone absolutely loved him! It was just so incredible. She had such a great time watching the game… but something was always on her mind…

_What if this isn't real? What if this is some sort of dream I'm having… _she thought. She pinched herself. It hurt. _Okay, it's real. But what if it's worse? What if I'm stuck here… forever. _

She imagined herself living here forever, but that was also hard to imagine. Yet it was harder to think about never seeing her friends again… what would they think happened to her…?

Zanerkand Abes scored, yet, another goal. They were totally pulverizing the other team. Rikku got up and started heading towards the locker room. The game would be over soon, and she didn't want to get lost in the crowd. Not in a place like this. She would probably be lost forever! What a thought!

She got to the room as the final goal was scored. 16-3 was the score. A lovely defeat for the Abes, a horrible lose for the others. Rikku felt happy that they one and slapped a huge smile on her face and started dancing around. _Mine as well not think about those things now, _she thought. _It's time to party!_

Soon, more fans came. Let me rephrase that, TONS more fans came. By the time Tidus and Travis came out, practically everyone who was in the stands were there! Rikku was amazed by the amount of people. They both waved out to the crowd, with smiles on their faces.

Travis spotted Rikku first, and they both headed towards her. They practically had to swim through the see of fans! They finally reached her with idiodic smiles on their faces.

"How did you like the game?" Tidus asked her.

"It was amazing!" She cried out over the fans.

"Let's get out of here!" Travis shouted.

They all nodded in agreement and they started out through the fans. It was hopeless, the fans kept following. They all started to run through the crowd. Tidus took Rikku's hand so that she wouldn't be left behind and swallowed by the mob of people. Rikku tried to keep up, but ended up being dragged along anyway.

They eventually made it to Tidus's house in one piece, which was an amazing thing. Rikku looked around, then just started laughing.

"Does that always happen to you?" she asked.

"Most of the time," said Travis truthfully. "You get used to it."

They both looked at Tidus, who hadn't said anything yet. He seemed to be staring off into nothing… neither of them could figure out what. Rikku waved her hand in front of his face and shouted, which woke him abruptly.

"Sorry!" he said quickly.

"Hmmm…" Rikku said accusingly. "I know what you were thinking about!"

"What?"

Travis started laughing.

"It was Yunie, wasn't it!"

"No! Well… is she really coming tomorrow?" he asked her.

"Yup! If all goes well! She should come up around… the blitzball stadium locker room actually!"

"I really just can't even start to believe it…" he said.

(the end for now. R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R!)


	3. Strange purple cloud

(Time for a drastic twist to stir things up. Heh heh heh…)

Yuna paced across the bridge room impatiently waiting for the thumbs up from Shinra. She couldn't believe that she was going to see Tidus, and in Zanerkand no less! She had always wondered what it would be like to live there… especially after she met Tidus. She always wanted to see it, and now her dream was finally coming true. What would she say to him? Were there odd customs there…?

Meanwhile, Paine was watching her friend pace nervously.

"Yuna," she said. "Calm down. You might run a hole into the floor…"

Yuna turned and kept pacing. "I know… but I can't stop thinking about what I'm about to do… What's about to happen…" turn. "I can't believe I'm going to see him again. I was so convinced it couldn't happen for 3 years, and now…" turn. "…it is!"

"Yes, we know…" Paine said, her eyes moving back and forth watching Yuna cross the room. Finally, Shinra approached her.

"Yuna, it's time to go. Are you ready."

She only nodded, because that's all she could handle. Beyond words… she wasn't sure what would happen. In the back of her mind, she had always worried. Worried that maybe… maybe Rikku didn't make it there. Maybe it was all a joke. Maybe she wouldn't see him again.

Yuna stepped over to the machine. It was like a large metal circle that was large enough for someone Yuna's size to step through. Shinra walked over to the control box and gave her a thumbs up. She nodded back. Shinra flipped the switch…

Nothing happened.

He toggled the switch…

Still nothing.

Finally, he smacked the little metal box and flipped the switch…

A purplish whirlpool type cloud showed up in the center of vortex. Yuna smiled, then frowned.

"Shinra… wasn't it green when Rikku went through?"

"Yeah, I noticed that myself."

"You aren't going to go through there, are you?" Paine asked with a look of concern in her eyes.

"I…"

"No Yuna!" cried Brother. "It might hurt you!"

"It won't hurt her Brother, it might not take her where she wants to go…"

Suddenly, the machine stopped. The cloud disappeared, and an electrical current went through the machine. There seemed to be a tiny explosion inside of the box.

"What was that?" asked Yuna, quickly stepping back.

"The machine over fried itself. It looks like I'll have to fix it… it…"

"How long!" Yuna blurted out.

"I don't know. I'm just a kid." Shinra shrugged, then crouched down to work on the machine. Yuna was in a haze. What had just happened? She slowly turned and walked towards the cabin. She needed rest to figure this whole thing out.

Zanarkand

"Tidus! Slow down! I don't know where I'm going!"

"Uh, sorry!" Tidus said, stopping to wait for Rikku. "I just, uh… I'm just excited. That's all…"

Rikku pouted. "Yeah… but I have to leave! I don't want to leave here…"

"Well… you'll come back to visit. Won't you?"

"Of course I will! Will you be looking forward to seeing me?" she asked, playfully nudging his arm with her elbow.

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Good. You know… we've all missed you."

"What?"

Rikku ran foreward quickly. "Come on slowpoke!"

"Hey! I thought you didn't know where we were going!"

"I lied!" Rikku called back cheerfully.

Tidus laughed, then ran to catch up to his friend.

(Okay, asking for pairings. I'm going to change this story a bit… here are the choices. You can choose multipal ones. TidusxYuna, RikkuxTidus, YunaxBrother, YunaxGippal, RikkuxTravis, RikkuxRandom person, TidusxRandom person, YunaxRandom person or none of the above. Please tell me in a review, because I need to know before the next chapter!)


	4. Sudden truth

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING FROM ANY FINAL FANTASY SERIES, I JUST LIKE WRITING ABOUT THEM IN SMALL FANFICTION STORIES. PLEASE DO NOT THINK I'M STEALING YOUR IDEA, BECAUSE IT IS COMPLETELY YOURS! THANKS YOU IN ADVANCE.

(Rikku's and Tidus's AND Yuna's mind this time. I'm liking the TidusxRikku… that's what I wanted at first. But I can't just discard Yuna! She needs someone! Well, come on readers, I need some help here! I'm thinking this is going to be a rather short fic… sorry, maybe there will be a sequal… maybe not:D )

Rikku and Tidus sat silently in the locker room. _How long is it going to take? _Tidus asked himself. _Why isn't she here yet? Is Rikku… really here? Is she really Rikku? _He glanced at her. She looked like Rikku. But older, slightly prettier, and much less clothing… but hey, that was her problem.

Rikku's expression was also worried, and surprisingly her heart was beating much faster than Tidus's. _Why isn't she here? What did Shinra do wrong. I know this is real, but is this it? Am I stuck here… forever? It wouldn't be that bad. Tidus was my first kind of a friend, instead of something like a brother. Come on Yunie! Where the heck are you!_

Another hour went by, but there was still not portal, not rip in space or time… nothing. Just Rikku, Tidus and an empty locker room. Finally, Tidus spoke.

"Maybe it was two days Rikku… or a week or something…"

"Maybe… but I was so sure," she answered, her voice slightly on the edge.

"I mean, she'll come. Right?"

"I don't know," she said, now on the verge of tears. Tidus looked up.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you ever think about what would happen to me! I'm stuck here, okay. STUCK! She isn't coming, and I just lost everything!" a few tears escaped and came rolling down her cheek.

"Mbuh…." He studdered. "You… didn't lose me. I'm here, you can live with me!"

It didn't help much, but kept her from crying.

"Besides," he continued. "She might still be coming, I mean… she wants to doesn't she?"

"Of course! She'll be here… if she can…"

They stayed in the locker room for a couple more hours, then they left to Tidus's house. Their spirit's were sore and Rikku's heart was torn out. She had no more witty comments, she was just Rikku… sad and silent Rikku.

**SPIRA**

_Why!_ Yuna thought. _Why didn't I test it? Why did we send Rikku! Why am I still here! _She was so frustraited… What was she to do. Her hopes were so high, she thought that maybe she would finally be able to see him again. But that was broken, and now she would have to spend 3 more years trying to let go of two people she loved dearly. One with all her heart. _No!_ she thought. _How can I even think that? _She slammed her fist in frustration on the bed. _What can I do…?_

Paine entered the upstairs portion of the airship's cabin. She stood for a moment before sitting down on Rikku's bed, then quickly getting up and moving to sit on her own bed. She couldn't get over Rikku's disappearance either.

"…Yuna?"

"What?" she said, not like herself. Very blunt and almost unfriendly.

"We have to tell people about what happened to Rikku… like Cid and Gippal. They need to know. They won't just overlook her disappearance…"

"I don't care," Yuna said, turning to face away from Paine. "I just can't think right now."

"I know… we'll get her back Yuna. If Shinra can get Rikku there, he can get her back!" Paine said, a slight tone of hope in her voice.

A tear rolled down Yuna's face. "I hope so," she whispered.

**Zanarkand **

Travis meandered down the metal streets of Zanarkand. _I wonder why Tidus and Rikku are so bummed lately. Maybe it's because that girl didn't come, but come on! They look like someone died! Rikku's hot, and I still feel sad just looking at her! I wonder what's wrong?_

Travis entered Tidus's house to find Tidus and Rikku just sitting on the couch. Sad looks on their faces, he almost swore that Rikku was crying. _What the heck is WRONG with them!_

(Kind of odd way to end a chapter, but I'm having series writer's block issues, not sure how to end this. It all depends on who matches up with who… sort of… in a way… anyway, I still need your help in the reviews! Keep at it!)


	5. Gippal's gotta know

The airship containing the broken gullwings landed softly by Djose temple. (spelling?) Paine was the first to leave the airship, and she wasn't quite sure if Yuna or the others would follow. Finally, Brother came out and said that nobody else was coming. Shinra was too busy, Buddy didn't think he could, and Yuna… well, you know. So Paine and Brother entered the temple by themselves.

Things inside were going on as usual, which felt weird to Paine. _How can they just keep going? Can't they feel how things have changed! _

Paine still remembered what happened the day Rikku left.

_Yuna- One of us has to go._

_Paine- Go? But we aren't even sure if it will take us to the right place, let alone take us somewhere._

_Rikku- Yunie, are you SURE about this!_

_Yuna- Of course! Even if I have to test it myself._

_Rikku- But Yunie! You can't go!_

_Paine- For once, Rikku's right. Yuna, do you know how much trouble you would cause if you just randomly disappeared. It wouldn't make sense for you to test it._

_Shinra- Plus, it might alter the course of events, making it so you aren't in the time you were born could make it so that you were never a Summoner… that Sin was never defeated._

_Yuna- But… I can't lose one of you. Not again._

_Paine- Yuna! It only makes sense for me to go! I-_

_Rikku- No! You were in the Crimson squad! You're WAY too important too. Even though hardly anybody recognizes, we need you…_

_So it was decided, _thought Paine. _But whoever thought that we'd need you too, Rikku?_

"Well, hey there!" said a voice from in front of her. She hadn't been paying attention to the present and found Gippal standing right in front of her. "Whatcha doin' around here? I haven't seen you guys in a while…"

"Well… we had a problem," said Brother awkwardly.

"Like what?" he asked, leaning back and raising one eyebrow.

"Rikku…"

"Rikku's gone!" blurted out Paine. She didn't sound angry, but extremely sad. Her eyes were wet, on the verge of tears, but she wouldn't cry. "Shinra messed up on the time machine, and now she's gone! She's stuck…"

"Stuck where!" Gippal asked, leaning forward worriedly.

"She's stuck… in Zanarkand…

**Zanarkand**

"D-did you know that I sort of asked to be the first to come?"

Rikku, Tidus and Travis were sitting on a dock at the outskirts of town. Rikku was overlooking the water, and seeing Mount Gagazet(spelling?) in the distance.

"Hmm?" asked Tidus, Travis stayed silent.

"I… I told Yunie and Paine that it made sense that I come, in case it disrupted the course of time… or something… and Yuna was never there to defeat Sin… Or Paine to be in the Crimson squad. It's my fault I'm here."

Tidus put a hand on her shoulder. "Rikku, you didn't know."

"But I had to of if I thought it didn't make sense to lose them!..."

"Umm… will someone care to fill me in?" asked Travis.

Tidus started, "Well, no offense Travis, but…"

"I'm not from here," Rikku blurted out.

"Hm?"

"I'm… I'm from the future. So is Yunie… and Paine…" tears came to her eyes. "And everyone else that I cared about other than Tidus! My friends, my family… everyone…" She whispered the last word. Travis would have laughed, if he didn't think that Rikku was telling the truth. But she was really upset, but he still couldn't believe it.

"I believe I need an explanation…"

Tidus and Rikku told him everything. Travis took it in generally well… except for one thing. He had died when Tidus left, but now he isn't. Was this some weird reality to him? He asked.

"Well… I'm not sure," said Tidus.

"It isn't."

"How can you be so sure, Rikku?"

"Because if it wasn't, I would have woken up from it already. It's lasted too long, and is too real to be a fake. I can just feel it. Travis, I know this is hard for you to understand, but…"

"No. I'm surprisingly okay with it. I guess I shouldn't be telling anybody else, should I?" asked Travis.

"Please?" asked Tidus and Rikku simultaneously.

"No, my lips are sealed. Don't worry. … So how are you going to get back?"

Rikku looked back at the mountain. "I'm really not sure."

(Kk, hoped you liked the chapter. Still need help, or this will be a short fic…)


	6. A meltdown and questions

(Exty, thank you for agreeing with me. But I don't know what it's going to be like…. I'm all for any kind of pairing here! Just stick to species!)

Gippal practically forced the gullwings to let him on to the ship. He wasn't a wiz at everything like Shinra, but he knew machina well. They all knew that Gippal had to do this to surpress his rage… Shinra didn't even care that he was looking at it, incase Gippal turned on him instead. Finally, the time machine's workings beyond him, he gave up and stood staring out the large window in the cabin facing the temple.

"Gippal…" said Yuna. "… we're all trying our hardest. We miss her just as much as you do!"

"You don't understand," he said, a little angry, a little sad. "She was like sister to me… she was my best friend…"

"What about me!" Brother asked, his al bhed accent kicking in more than usual. "I was her Brother!"

"She was a great gullwing," said Buddy.

"And…" Paine started. Everyone turned to her, everyone surprised to see a few tears escaping her eyes, though she sounded usual. "And… aw, screw it!"

"What?"

"Well… she was my good friend too… I guess…" she said, having a hard time admitting that she had actual friendly emotions.

"No!" Gippal said. He rubbed the back of his neck. "You see… ah… never mind, it's too late now! She was just so…"

"Stop!" Cried Yuna, actually crying. "Stop using that word!"

"…what word?"

"_Was_… stop using was! It just makes it sound like… like…"

"Like she's really gone. And she isn't coming back," Paine said quietly.

Everyone stared distantly in a different direction, trying not to make eye contact with each other. Shinra crouched down and started to work on his machina again, and Yuna fled the room crying. Gippal followed a little after, and Brother went to the engine room to think. Paine just sat frustratedly on the floor, and Buddy came over to join her, not knowing what else to do.

**Zanarkand**

Rikku, Tidus and Travis sat in the living room of Tidus's house. Travis had non-stop questions, and it distracted Rikku and Tidus from their sadness… a little.

"So… in the future, Zanarkand is gone?"

"Well, not 'gone' in the sense it disappears…" said Rikku.

"It's ruins Travis. Trust me, I got to know them a little more than I wanted to."

"Well, what other cities are there?"

"There's Luca," said Tidus. "It's nothing compared to Zanarkand though. Really, it's beautiful though."

"And there's Bevelle! It's MUCH larger than Luca, but still nothing compared to this," Rikku added.

"Okay… so what's this about Mt. Gagazet? People live up there?"

"Well, not people exactly…" said Tidus, remembering the Large blue Ronzo that was Yuna's guardian as well.

"And Tidus knows how to wield a sword!" asked Travis, excitedly.

"Yup! And some magic, but Rikku is MUCH better with weapons than me. Not to mention machina…"

Rikku giggled a little, the first real laugh in a while. Travis and Tidus chuckled also, though Tidus half heartedly. Then Tidus thought of a question of his own.

"Say Rikku, what exactly did the gullwings do?" he asked.

"We hunted spheres! Some old spheres provided some really awesome information! And some could be used as garments for our garment grids!...and"

"Garment grids?"

"Well… it's like different clothes for different fighting styles… like… this!" Rikku stood and turned into a white mage. The two guys were in aw. Then, She turned back into a thief. "But as I was saying before. Yuna came to me first with a sphere she found… that looked like you. We thought it WAS you, but it was this creep named Shuyen or something who was trying to destroy Spira over his lost love Lenne… don't do that on me, okay Tidus? Don't go crazy?"

Tidus chuckled again. "I won't Rikku… I…" Tidus stopped in mid-sentence. He had a great idea! "Rikku! This is genious! You can find spheres from this time, right? Like, really old ones?"

"Yeah, they're normally pretty old when we find them… why?"

"Rikku, what if we leave Yuna a sphere! Maybe they'll look in Zanarkand ruins, and they could find the sphere! Telling her that you're alright, and I'm alright, and that we miss her and stuff!"

Tears joy crept to Rikku's eyes. "Tidus! You smart, smart idiot! Yes! Yunie! She'll find the sphere! Unless the monkeys get it first…"


	7. Leave something for the future

Gippal's usual happy-go-lucky expression was turned to a darker side. He frowned as he sat, staring into the distance on deck of the Celcius. Rikku's disappearance changed him inside and out. Something deeper inside bothered him… but Paine was the only one there who could see it.

She walked up the steps onto the deck and walked to where her old friend sat. She sat next to him and stared out into the distance as well. For about five minutes, there was silence. Then Gippal spoke up.

"What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

"I would like to know what's wrong."

"I would think that it's obvious."

"Yeah, Rikku's gone but… it's more than that. I can tell…"

"Nothing else is wrong!"

"…"

Silence for another minute.

"Rikku never knew. She didn't understand how much I appreciated her wise-cracks. Her comments, her joyfulness… Just being herself, a dimwitted blonde. But a funny, and talented one. She never knew… how many friends she had. I didn't want to hide it… but after- but I couldn't help it. I had made friends before… but I thought I lost them forever. It's funny when you thought the feelings for someone were gone, until you see them again and they come back up…"

Paine stood up, and turned to face the door going back inside. "Rikku's not like that. She'd never forget someone… not in 1000 years."

She ran back inside, and Gippal sighed. She was right, he was hiding something. But now that all changed… _Rikku, I was ready for you. But what now, eh? When will I ever see you again? _

**Zanarkand**

"…Tidus has the ball… he shoots… and… he scores! Another amazing win for the Abes!"

Against every sad impulse inside of her, Rikku jumped out of her seat cheering happily. Inside of the sphere of water, the Abes were huddling around Tidus and patting him on the back. Travis was right there with him, and they were both smiling happily.

_Hmmm, I see that the 'sphere of us'_ _idea_ _is keeping up out spirits! _Rikku thought. _That's tonight, isn't it? Ooo! I can't wait!_

They all agreed on the idea of leaving a sphere for Yuna, but then needed to go buy one, and Tidus & Travis had a game the next afternoon, so they decided to make it after the game. They bought the sphere that morning, and now Rikku made her way past the crowd of crazed fans to get to the locker room where her friends were.

She got to the edge of the crowd of fans (mostly teenage girls) and was suddenly stopped by a guard.

"Sorry miss, no passing."

"But it's me! Tidus's friend… Rikku!" she said, a little angrily, and slightly pleading.

"Yeah right, that's what they all say."

"Hey ya' big meany! I'm not kidding, you know!"

"Tough luck, kid."

"Now you listen here…"

"Rikku? Where are you?" came Tidus's voice from behind the guard, which caused a wave of cheers from the crowd. Rikku waved her hand frantically.

"I'm here! Get me outta here! I think I'm going to get squashed!" she cried, and it was true. The fans were packing closer to the guards.

Tidus came running over.

"Rikku? There you are! You weren't in the locker room!"

"That's because this big lug…" she pointed at the guard, who seemed to stiffen, but didn't prevent Rikku from passing again. "… wouldn't let me through!"

"Oh, bwaa…. Sorry!" Tidus rubbed the back of his neck.

"Let's get out of here!"

"Right, Travis is waiting by the waterfront. Hold on tight!"

"Wha-…"

Tidus grabbed Rikku's hand, then started running through the crowd. The fans went wild, but both him and Rikku were gone before they could get there hands on either one of them. Some of the girls looked disgusted, other's mortified.

"_What? He's got a girlfriend" … "No! He's supposed to be mine!" … "Come on, he isn't single anymore!"_

_What! Me and him dating, _thought Rikku. _That should be Yunie they're murmuring about, not me!_

Tidus was too busy pushing his way through to hear the rumors, but Rikku heard just about every one of them. _Humph, maybe the crowd of fans will finally die down…_

Soon enough, they escaped all of the fans and made it to the shore front. They stopped in front of Travis, Tidus leaning on his knees panting and Rikku just falling to the ground in exhaustion.

"Remind me why I'm here?" Rikku asked jokingly. The only thing Travis could manage to do was laugh at the state both of his friends were in. When he stopped, he took three spheres from his pocket.

"So, who's first?"

**Spira**

Buddy entered the cabin containing Brother, Paine, Gippal and Yuna. They were all sitting at the bar and looked up at his arrival. Buddy rubbed the back of his neck and leaned on his right leg.

"Uh, sorry to bother you guys, but I just picked up some major sphere waves from the… the Zanarkand ruins. I think there's a lot of them… but I can't be sure." He said.

Yuna looked back down at her glass, and that's when Shinra entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt this happy moment, but I have a theory…"

Yuna looked up quickly. "About fixing the machine!"

"No…"

She looked sad again.

"… but about the spheres at the ruins. They might have been left there from Rikku… or him…"

Everyone glanced at eachother, than at Yuna. She stood up abruptly.

"Than what the hell are we waiting for!"

Somewhat surprised by her language, they all got into positions for departure. Gippal was not about to leave, so Brother finally gave in and let him stay on the ship… though he wasn't too happy about it. Paine and Yuna went up to there beds to rest, incase fiends were involved. They doubted it highly though. Hope seemed to bounce off of the walls, and they all anxiously waited to land at the sphere site.

(I'm _thinking_ about writing a story just like this, but with Paine going back in time instead of Rikku! But it's only a theory, and I probably won't do it. And I'm thinking about not having ANY match ups… slightly. People can like eachother, but I might not match up. But it's up to you guys… along with me, so review please like you have been!


	8. The red sphere

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY, I DON'T OWN ANY FINAL FANTASY GAMES, I DON'T OWN FINAL FANTASY, IT IS UP TO THE CREATORS OF FINAL FANTASY TO SAY WHAT I DO OWN, SO RIGHT NOW I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. THEY CREATED THESE PEOPLE, AND ONLY LET ME WRITE ABOUT THEM IN DIFFERENT SCENERIOS. THANK YOU!**

(I have decided that the only way I can have a sequal is if Tidus and Rikku like eachother… well, maybe. I could have a Rikku x Travis matchup, but then there wouldn't be as much to the sequal. But, hey, it could work!)

Yuna ran off of the Celcius like a mad woman, closely followed by all of the others. There were sphere waves, and they were strong. Buddy guessed about two or more. _I know it's Tidus, _thought Yuna. _It has to be him. It must be. _

They came into the room with the strongest possibilities. It was full of old, empty boxes, and fabrics and pretty much everything else. And of course, tons of monkeys! Everyone split up to search the area, all with different expressions of happiness, or worried, or just plain confused. Paine seemed to have a look of, well, pain in her eyes. Gippal was the first to find one. It was blue, and everyone huddled around to watch.

**The sphere**

_Tidus and Rikku sat next to each other on what looked like a dock, with the city fanned out behind them. They both smiled into the screen._

"_Hey guys!" Rikku exclaimed. "This is for all of you, I hope you find it!"_

_Tidus nudged her. "Of course they will. Hey every one."_

_Rikku was on the verge of tears. "I really miss all of you! Even if I pretended to be angry with you guys, I love you all…" she giggled a little, and tears streamed down, "… I always used to think 'what would I do without you guys… well, here I am!"_

"_Don't worry about Rikku, Yuna, I'll take care of her for you. I really hope that you don't worry too much about us. Or miss us too much, we miss you but you all have to take care of yourselves too you know."_

"_That's right! Don't linger on us, we're okay. That's what this sphere is here to tell you. And so you can see us again… and so we can…" Rikku chocked up, and couldn't say anymore. _

"_So we can say goodbye," Tidus finished for her. "It wasn't quite proper before…"_

_Rikku once again, got a hold of herself. "So you guys, I want to say goodbye. I know that I'll never see you again, and by the time you get this sphere I'll be… I'll be in the farplane," another burst of tears, " but I love everyone so much, and I had to say goodbye."_

_Tidus took over. "And I have to say goodbye too. There are two more spheres, close to this one hopefully. The gold one is for Yuna, and the purple one is for Gippal and Brother. Well…"_

_Bother Rikku and Tidus looked up to the screen and said, "Goodbye."_

_The screen went fuzzy, then went black. _

**SPIRA**

Yuna was crying, and she fell to her knees. A tear went down Paine's check, and the others didn't quite know where to look or what to do. Brother looked to the floor, and cried out, "Look!"

On the ground were three more spheres. A gold, a purple and a red. Yuna snatched the gold one, then went to a corner to be alone, still crying. Brother and Gippal grabbed the purple one and walked off also. Paine slowly took the red one and sat on a crate by herself, unsure as weather to watch it or not. She turned it on, deciding it didn't really matter…

**Red sphere**

_It was fuzzy, then went to a clear image of Rikku's shiny, tear stained face. She sniffed loudly._

_"Rikku, it's on," said a guy's voice in the back round._

_"Thank's Travis," Rikku muttered._

_It was silent for a second, just Rikku staring into the screen before she spoke._

_"I'm not sure what to say, but first I should say that this is for Paine. If anybody else watches this, I give her permission to hurt you." She stopped again, as if searching for words. "You know Paine, I never did hate you… I didn't even not like you! You were my best friend. Sure, you probably think that Yuna was, but Yuna's just my cousin! We're good friends, but we're cousins! You aren't related to me, and you were a true friend. We watched out for each other, and I valued that…"_

**Spira**

Now Paine was crying, smiling and laughing all at the same time. Rikku's red sphere went on, talking about past missions before Yuna came, and the fun they had had together, and even the ones with Yuna. In the end, she said even though they were different, they were still friends the whole time. Even though they didn't really open up to each other, they understood each other. And now Paine believed it. When Rikku said goodbye, they were both crying a reasonable amount. It was the most Painful thing that Paine had ever had to watch, but she was happy all at the same time.

The others came back, Yuna crying uncontrollably that she could barely stand, so Brother carried her to the ship. Gippal's face was tearstained, and he looked oddly at Paine. The gullwings made a sad journey back to the airship They went inside, Yuna went to the cabin clutching the gold sphere to her chest. Buddy, Brother and Shinra went silently to their stations and took off. Paine and Gippal went up to the deck. The sun was setting, and the sky was beautiful and Paine was somehow extremely happy and sad all at the same time. Gippal came and sat next to her.

"So, what was that red sphere all about?" he asked her.

"It was for me, from Rikku. She said goodbye."

She felt like she was going to break down and cry all over again.

"Oh. She said goodbye to me too. She also said something else…"

He looked oddly over the edge of the deck into the sunset, then to Paine.

"What was that?"

"She told me, that no matter what, I had to take care of you."

**(well, did you like it? I was thinking I could end it there… and maybe do a sequal, but if I get enough reviews I could extend it a chapter or two… so review me, and tell me how you liked it!)**


	9. The last, and the future

**ZANARKAND**

As the sphere for Paine ended, Tidus had already left to get back home. So Travis and Riku put the spheres in the box, and hid them underneath the dock. Rikku was still sniffing, and constantly wiping her nose on the back of her hand. Travis pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Here," he said, quietly.

"-sniff- thanks. I think that was the hardest thing that I've ever done! And I've taken out Vagnagun!" she exclaimed. Travis gave her an odd look. "Uh… nevermind…"

Travis chuckled a little. "I like you Rikku, you're funny."

"You're pretty cool too. Um, hey, Travis?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you not tell Tidus about the red sphere?"

"Wh-… uh, sure. Your secret's safe with me."

Rikku smiled, causing Travis to also. "Thanks, you're a real pal!"

The two new friends turned to head back to Tidus's house. It was about a mile from the docks, and that made for a large city seeing as he lived on the outskirts. As they walked on, Rikku's sniffing subsided slowly. It pained Travis to see anyone this way… He thought what it must be like for her, and decided he would do anything to make her feel at home. It confused him, he had never cared this much about someone elses happiness for a long time… if it didn't involve him of course. _It's almost like ever step she takes towards the city, is another step away from her old life… her old friends… and her family, into something completely and utterly new!_

**SPIRA**

Paine looked at him in utter disbelieve. Of all the people Rikku had to pick, it was him. She didn't like being mean to anybody, or cold, she just was. But she couldn't stop herself before she said anything…

"Who says I need somebody to take care of me?" Paine asked. Tears came to her eyes again. _Why am I so damn emotional!_ She screamed in her head. She cried to know that Rikku cared so much.

"Rikku said… she said that you aren't as bad as most people think. She wants me to watch over you, like a friend or an older brother or… or whatever you want! I'll do anything for her, and she wants me to watch out for you."

All Paine could manage to say was, "I never knew that Rikku could care so much about so many people… let alone me."

……..

Yuna cried in her room for a long, long, LONG time. When she finally stopped crying, she thought the sphere over again. Of course, it was the real Tidus this time. Not some fake, or Shuyin… it was really him. And he really cared. He was crying as he spoke, but Yuna still heard every word he said. And one part disturbed her the most.

"… _and Yuna… even though I love you, and you love me, we shouldn't have to stay with each other when we are so far apart. Yuna, if you find someone else… someone who makes you happy, go for it. Cause all I want, is for you to be happy… and I know that you would want me to be happy to. Remember Yuna, no matter what, I'm watching over you…"_

_Someone else? _Thought Yuna. _I couldn't. I don't think that I'll ever find someone again. I don't mind being alone… because I'm not alone. You are still there, watching over me…_

…….

Brother wasn't crying. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't frowing. Frankly, he wasn't doing anything. He stared off into the distance as he drove the Celcius off to find Cid. His father. Rikku's father. He stared into the cloudy sky, and couldn't believe that his own sister was actually gone. Gone. Forever. The sphere sounded over and over again in his head.

_Brother… I love you soo much! I'm I'll miss you!_

_Brother… I love you…_

_I love you…_

_I'll miss you…_

A tear slipped from his eye, and ran down his cheek. Nothing would ever be the same. Nothing…

The End

… or is it?

((Kay, here's the deal. I'm writing a few more sequal stories. Number one: Hollow Emotions. This one is about what happens to Paine and Gippal… Number two: Searching for home. This is about Yuna, and how she finds the opposite of what she is looking for. Number three: The Past Will Huant You. This is a surprise that Brother finds. Number four: Life in the past. I might do this one, and it would be of Rikku, Travis and Tidus... well, mostly Rikku and Travis. That one is connected to The Past Will Haunt you!)


	10. Dear Fans

Dear fans. This, in fact, is not a chapter. It's been a long time since I have finished this story, and I would just like to inform all of you that I have two sequels up! They're been there a while…. Hollow Emotion and the past will haunt you. I would really enjoy to continue these… alas, I have no reviews. Reviews are my fuel for writing. And I feel as though People don't like them if I don't have reviews. So, please just leave something if you read them! Thanks bunches!

-Karin Starsen


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